Some technical stuff for youI wrote about this functionality a few weeks ago, and it appears no solution is in sight. I have been given a bit of information as to why it may be difficult to address.

BackgroundFor some of us shooting the 5D Mark III, there is an issue that is driving some, not all, photographers bonkers. That is, when shooting in AI Servo mode, the focus point we have selected does not illuminate red, like it does on the EOS-1′s like the 1D Mark IV. The 7D has always had the black focus points in AI Servo and we never really heard many complaints about it. However, since the 5D3 came about, there have been countless complaints about shooting in AI servo mode without the illuminating focus points.

I finally spent a serious amount of time with the 5D Mark III, and I am on the side of it being extremely annoying that I can’t see my AF point in AI servo mode in various situations. Lowlight, black shirts, birds in flight and that sort of thing. With the 61 AF points, I do move the focus point off of center during AI Servo usage.

As mentioned, there have been lots of forum threads on the topic and I have finally heard from a few people what the issue is.

Below is some technical information about why (correct me if we’re wrong).The transmissive LCD is the issue with both the 5D Mark III and the 1D X. Despite greatly improved AF, the exposure is affected by the red light of the AF point. This is why they do not light up in AI servo just prior to the exposure reading being made.

In order to solve the problem, Canon will have to figure a way to turn them on (red), yet adjust for the exposure differential. That isn’t as easy as it sounds, as each focus point will affect exposure slightly differently not to mention it’s also dependant on which exposure mode is active.

Can it happen?It’s possible, because I’m told Canon is working on a solution. They do know a segment of photographer is having trouble with the black AF points. I am told the 1D X will launch with the same functionality as the 5D Mark III.

For some photographers, this is not an issue, or even a minor annoyance.

DustinF00

I have an issue in just single shot mode, where when you half press for focus, the single focus point selected doesnt light up at all, so you have no idea what's trying to focus on where (if you say forget which AF Point you've left selected).

I have an issue in just single shot mode, where when you half press for focus, the single focus point selected doesnt light up at all, so you have no idea what's trying to focus on where (if you say forget which AF Point you've left selected).

The 7D has always had the black focus points in AI Servo and we never really heard many complaints about it. However, since the 5D3 came about, there have been countless complaints about shooting in AI servo mode without the illuminating focus points.</p>

Coming from the 7d, i guess it never really bothered me and I appreciated the AF system so i learned to deal. When I had it in AI Focus, which I have my cameras set on most the time, It illuminates when it gets initial focus but doesn't after the subject starts moving. I think it would annoy me more than help me if the freaking VF kept blinking as the subject moved and af adjusted.. Just kinda would drive me bonkers but my 2 cents.

The solution is probably Canon running every single possible focus point combination against all metering modes under a variety of lighting & subject conditions to get information on how the metering is affected when it's black vs red. And then run a whole bunch of calculations, and figure out the best adjustments/algorithms to add into a later firmware. That's my guess, and it'd be extremely time consuming.

I for one would like this to be an option, and I'm hoping they do come up with the necessary fixes to release another firmware to enable this.

zhap03

I have an issue in just single shot mode, where when you half press for focus, the single focus point selected doesnt light up at all, so you have no idea what's trying to focus on where (if you say forget which AF Point you've left selected).

This behavior is driving me nuts.

Does this make sense to anyone else?

Dustin, you can go into your menu and change the setting that will illuminate the AF points red. I can't remember where this option resides in the menu, but it does exist. I'm at work right now and my 5d3 isn't here, otherwise I'd tell you exactly which option to change. It's time to open your instruction manual or play around with your 5D3's menu.

danqi

A much bigger issue in my opinion is that you do not get any visual focus confirmation in single shot mode, when you are in an environment that is bright enough to make the red light invisible.

When I have the beep sound off (as I often have to), how do I know if the camera was able to achieve focus? My old 5D Mark I would flash the focus point red as confirmation that it achieved focus. But with the Mark III this works only in low-light situations, as the red light is impossible to see in brighter circumstances.

At first I thought the option to make the focus point disappear when focussing would act as a confirmation, but unfortunately it disappears every time, wether the camera achieved focus or not.

The little dot at the bottom right of the viewfinder is not useful at all in my opinion. When I shoot fast (focus, click, focus, click) and need to keep my eye on the action I find it impossible to look down there every time.

Pompo

Sports photographers might not have probs because they shoot with"slower" 2.8 and 4.0 or even 5.6 lenses, as the lens used is darker the the af points get darker and more visible too. When using 1.2 -1.4 1.8 the af point becoesgery and almost transparent in bright daylight.

Yeah, shooting in the dark the af point selectd is almost impossible to see and therefore to constantly keep on top of a moving subject.

I have an issue in just single shot mode, where when you half press for focus, the single focus point selected doesnt light up at all, so you have no idea what's trying to focus on where (if you say forget which AF Point you've left selected).

AFAIK, you can set it to light up in the C.Fn's.

I am not sure if I explained it right, I want it to flash RED, as its trying to focus, not just flash black.

I've tried a lot of functions in the AF functions in the menu, I dont believe it will make it flash red.

Pompo

A much bigger issue in my opinion is that you do not get any visual focus confirmation in single shot mode, when you are in an environment that is bright enough to make the red light invisible.

When I have the beep sound off (as I often have to), how do I know if the camera was able to achieve focus? My old 5D Mark I would flash the focus point red as confirmation that it achieved focus. But with the Mark III this works only in low-light situations, as the red light is impossible to see in brighter circumstances.

At first I thought the option to make the focus point disappear when focussing would act as a confirmation, but unfortunately it disappears every time, wether the camera achieved focus or not.

The little dot at the bottom right of the viewfinder is not useful at all in my opinion. When I shoot fast (focus, click, focus, click) and need to keep my eye on the action I find it impossible to look down there every time.

+1 +1 +1

YES this dumb "intelligent" viewfinder is a major step backwards...lots of cons about it!

I would like to say first, that I'm glad Canon is looking into the issue. It's nice to see a company that listen to its photographers' plight.

That being said, I'm in the camp of people where the black focus points annoys the hell out of me. You have a camera that's a low-light beast, but then you can't figure out what the hell you're focusing on. Having it light up red (even for a second) is necessary, imo.

If you came from the 7D, you know to get around this limitation by using the joystick to move the focus point which would trigger the red illumination. If the focus point was already where you wanted it, you wasted two pushes of the joystick to confirm... if it wasn't... there was no real cost to this. I know it's no consolation to those that miss it, but you do get use to doing this after awhile to ensure your focus point is correctly positioned.

Having said this, if you can press the shutter half way, and move the joystick to trigger the red illumination and not affect your exposure, I'm not sure why the camera can't do this on it's own without impacting exposure.

Logged

Canon 5D Mark III, 35L, 50L, 85L, 135L, 24-105L, 70-300L

babuljak-dot-com

I am having the same issue in One Shot mode as well. It goes from black to red AFTER it gets in focus to confirm. The hard part is first trying to find which point you have selected. I constantly hit the AF select button on the back to see which point I have selected. The Mark II lights red as soon as you engage the AF. I hope they can fix this too!

I have an issue in just single shot mode, where when you half press for focus, the single focus point selected doesnt light up at all, so you have no idea what's trying to focus on where (if you say forget which AF Point you've left selected).

AFAIK, you can set it to light up in the C.Fn's.

I am not sure if I explained it right, I want it to flash RED, as its trying to focus, not just flash black.

I've tried a lot of functions in the AF functions in the menu, I dont believe it will make it flash red.